Kempf settles in as pro pitcher

Published 11:04 pm, Thursday, July 1, 2010

Willie Kempf poses with his grandfather Gerald during his playing days at Medina Valley High School in 2006.

Willie Kempf poses with his grandfather Gerald during his playing days at Medina Valley High School in 2006.

Kempf settles in as pro pitcher

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It’s a long ride from the dusty fields of the Medina Valley youth baseball complex in Castroville to the shiny digs of Champions Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

At times, it can seem like halfway around the world with teammates speaking Spanish, Japanese and Taiwanese.

But for former Medina Valley standout Willie Kempf, it’s just baseball, and he’s doing what he’s always done — piling up outs and having fun.

“I was hoping to get off to a good start, and I’ve been able to do that so far,” said Kempf, a 27th-round draft pick on June 8.

Less than a month after finishing the best of his four years at Baylor, Kempf looks at home on the hot and humid fields at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World and around the Gulf Coast League. In three outings with the GCL Braves, he’s 2-0 with 12 strikeouts in 11 shutout innings, giving up six hits and three walks.

As for communicating with guys from Japan, Taiwan and six Spanish-speaking countries, it’s coming along.

“They’re all nice, and it’s not too hard to communicate when the main thing you’re talking about is baseball,” he said. “We can speak that language pretty easily.”

Kempf’s fast rookie-league start has been a continuation of his time at Baylor, where he was a team captain the past two seasons. He was 4-0 with four runs allowed in 34 innings (1.06 ERA) in his final eight games.

That included a 20 1/3-inning shutout streak and a 4-2 victory over Arizona in an elimination game at the Fort Worth Regional in the NCAA tournament.

“The way my college season ended just gave me tons of confidence going into professional baseball,” said Kempf, whose fastball reaches the low 90s.

Against Arizona, he worked into the ninth inning for the first time at Baylor and struck out eight on a career-high 121 pitches. TCU eliminated the Bears later that evening, but Kempf’s performance displayed the leadership that inspired his teammates.

“He’s a phenomenal man,” said Bears outfielder Logan Vick, a rising sophomore from Kerrville Tivy. “He’s got great character and was a great leader on our team. He’s very vocal, and he worked very hard. Everyone listened to him and looked up to him on and off the field.”

A Kempf in pro baseball is not new, but it has been a while. The late Gerald Kempf, Willie’s grandfather and longtime coach at Medina Valley, played 49 games with Batavia in the Cleveland organization in 1958 after a standout career at St. Mary’s and playing days in the military.

Gerald, who died in August 2006 after battling cancer, never saw Willie pitch at Baylor, but the younger Kempf carries his grandfather’s lessons with him.

“He was a great man and a great inspiration to so many people he coached,” Kempf said. “He always told me that no matter what anybody says, don’t give up on your dreams. I always think about him.”

Frankie Kempf is sure of what his father would be thinking about Willie playing pro ball.

“My dad would say he’s so proud of him for working hard,” said Frankie Kempf, who also played at St. Mary’s. “I think my dad also would say he’s more proud of who Willie has become as a man than what he has become as a player.”

At Baylor, Willie put his grandfather’s teachings to work in the classroom as much as on the field. A three-time member of the Big 12 All-Academic first team, Kempf was named to the school’s honor roll seven times while graduating with a degree in finance and real estate.

Given his grandfather’s career, it comes as little surprise that Kempf’s post-college plans include baseball, as in opening an instructional facility with college roommate and catcher Gregg Glime, a 24th-round pick by the Marlins.

For now, Kempf dreams of rising through the Braves organization and playing on the most majestic fields imaginable.

Kempf cites Yankees outfielder-infielder Kevin Russo, who spent 2006 in the GCL after leaving Baylor as a senior, as an inspiration. The way he’s pitching, moving up a level this summer isn’t far-fetched.

“They’ve told everyone you always have a chance to get out of here, and guys move all of the time,” Kempf said. “If you’re performing well, I think they’ll give you a shot. I’m excited, and hopefully I can keep doing the things I’ve been doing lately.”